Sports
Tigers pick up 2 wins, fall to College Park on Monday
Wednesday, 13 March 2013 by Tony Adams
Chase Cryer hits a double during an earlier game this season. The Tigers fell to College Park 15-4.Belton High School baseball pitched into their 2013 non-district campaign with at the Rock Hardball Classic in Round Rock last weekend. The tourney was made up of baseball powerhouses from around the state.
Thursday's first game saw the Tigers in action against Houston Memorial and the strong arm of Kacy Clemens, the son of former major leaguer Roger Clemens. Belton fell into an early 3-0 hole within the first two innings. Clemens knocked in two of the runs supporting his own cause early. But the Tigers kept clawing away, scoring one run in the second, two runs in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3 and scoring the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, knocking Clemens from the game. The Tigers hung on in the top of the seventh to claim the 4-3 victory.
Clemens was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. He also pitched five and a-third innings, surrendering four runs on six hits, striking out six and walking five.
Jared Janczak knocked in a pair of runs for the Tigers. Chase Sorter and Chase Cryer also had RBI singles for Belton.
The second Thursday game pitted the Tigers against Frenship. Frenship took the lead in the top of the second with a run, with Belton answering back in the bottom of the frame on a Tony Valdez single. Frenship reclaimed a 2-1 lead in third inning. The Tigers took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on Joey Hogan's double. Frenship plated two in the top of the seventh to ruin a great pitching performance by Devin Lovato.
Jay Rawlins picked up the complete game win for Frenship, scattering seven hits, while walking two and striking out seven.
Lovato pitched six and a-third innings, gave up 10 hits, while walking four and striking out five.
On Friday, the Tigers played Leander. With the game played with high winds, it lent itself to high scoring. The Tigers took 4-0 in the first inning. The Lions stormed back with seven runs in the second to take a 7-4 lead. Belton stormed back to tie the game in the top of the third. Leander scored a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth. The Tigers loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but was only about to score one run and fell to the Lions 11-8.
The Tigers got to Leander pitching for 11 hits. Jeremy Beaver for 2-for-3 with two RBI. Walker Winders went 2-for-3, scoring three runs for Belton.
In the Friday nightcap, Belton took on Stony Point. Stony Point jumped the Tigers early, pounding Big Red for five runs in the first inning and one in the second. Starting in the top of the third, Belton chipped away at the Stony Point lead. The Tigers posted three runs in the third, two in the fourth, and five in the fifth, finally taking a 10-8 lead. Stony Point tied the game at 10-10 in the bottom of the fifth. Belton reclaimed a 13-10 lead in the top of the sixth and held on to win 13-11.
Cryer went 2-for-3 with three RBI for the Tigers. Sorter, Juan Legunas and Ryne Niemi each went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In Saturday's contest, the Tigers traveled to Dell Diamond to wrap up the Rock Hardball Tournament against Cedar Park.
The Tigers were down early and never fully got into the ballgame. Cedar Park went up 1-0 in the first inning and four more runs over the next two innings to go up 5-0. The Tigers mustered an RBI single from Cryer to cut the lead to 5-1 in the top of the fourth. Cedar Park stormed back with four more runs in the bottom of the fourth to increase the lead to eight at 9-1. Two more Tigers run narrowed the gap to 9-3 in the top of the fifth, but could not overcome the deficit any fell to Cedar Park 10-3.
Cryer went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Tigers. Janczak and Winders also had hits for Belton. The Tigers finished the tournament 2-3.
College Park 15 Belton 14
BRENHAM-The Belton Tigers baseball team got into a slug-fest with Houston College Park. Although the bats and hearts are aplenty on this squad, pitching and defense are two points that are slow in developing.
Four Tiger errors led to four unearned runs, eventually leading to Belton's 15-14 defeat against College Park at Fireman's Field in Brenham.
Fighting back from an 7-1 deficit, the Tigers hung five runs in the fourth inning to draw back to withing a run at 7-6. College Park increased the lead back to five at 11-6 in the top of the fifth inning. Belton (2-4) counter-punched with a six-spot to take a 12-11 lead in the bottom of the inning. The Tigers tied the game at 12-12 in the sixth inning. College Park scored three runs in the top of the seventh, with Belton only able to answer with a single run.
Cameron Cooper went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Chase Cryer was 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Walker Winders went 4-for-5 with four RBIs for the Tigers, whose next action will be back in the Round Rock Stony Point Tournament.
